GOMEZ IS BEATEN BY LENDL, 6-2, 6-4

Published: August 27, 1984

JERICHO, L.I., Aug. 26—
When Andres Gomez was growing up in the seaside city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, he spent much of his free time at the beach. Occasionally, he would surf, and when he was older, he learned to water ski. Sometimes, he would just sit and watch the waves and read books about the ocean.

''I love the sea,'' he said. ''I don't know why. I'm a Pisces. Maybe that has something to do with it. I wanted to become an oceanographer, but I turned into a tennis player instead.''

He has turned into a very good one. And even though he was defeated by Ivan Lendl today, 6-2, 6-4, in the final of the Hamlet Challenge Cup, Gomez is one of the pro tour's hottest players. He has won three tournaments this year, including the Italian Open and the United States Clay Court Championships. Those accomplishments have helped the burly 24- year-old left-hander, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds, to a No. 5 ranking in the world and to seeding in the same spot for the United States Open that begins Tuesday.

Lendl is the world's second-ranked player and is seeded second in the Open. But Gomez played him consistently well today, showing steady ground strokes as well as good range in their 63-minute match.

Downfall Was Serving

Gomez's downfall was serving. Only 56 percent of his first services were good, and that, combined with the fact that he never adjusted to Lendl's powerful serve, made the difference. ''I'm not going to beat Lendl with my second serve,'' he said.

Lendl, who appears to have regained the form that gained him his first Grand Slam triumph earlier this year in the French Open, broke his opponent in the fifth and seventh games of the opening set, which Lendl won in 31 minutes.

Lendl then took a 2-0 lead in the second set after breaking Gomez easily in the first game and winning his service game with an overhead. But Gomez pulled even at 2-2 by winning his next service game and then breaking Lendl for the first - and only - time. Lendl won just one point in the game. ''Maybe it was because I hadn't been challenged at all on my serve,'' Lendl said.

Lendl, a Czechoslovak, did not let the sloppy game affect him. He immediately broke Gomez, who, like him, plays primarily from the baseline, to gain the match.

Lendl earned $35,000, Gomez $17,000.

For some young players, going into one of the world's most prestigious tournaments as the fifth-seeded player would create added pressures, the kind that can give a player a false sense of himself. Those are the kind of situations that often lead to losses in the early rounds.

But thus far, the easy-going Gomez doesn't seem to be affected by his rise. ''I am No. 5 because I am No. 5,'' he said with a shrug. ''That is it. The only difference is that it means I don't have to play the seeded players in the first round.''

Gomez faces Schlomo Glickstein of Israel in the opening round Tuesday. Lendl's first-round foe will be Brian Teacher of the United States.

Wilander Triumphs

MASON, Ohio, Aug. 26 (AP) - Mats Wilander built a 4-0 lead over Anders Jarryd in the second set today, then withstood a comeback by his Swedish countryman for a 7-6, 6-3 victory in the Association of Tennis Professionals championship.

Wilander, who defeated Jimmy Connors in a stormy match Saturday to gain the final, won the title for a second straight year. He opened a 2-0 lead in the first set, but Jarryd battled to tie at 3-3. Wilander won the first-set tiebreaker, 7-4, when Jarryd hit a return out of bounds. Jarryd then fell behind, 4-0, in the second set before closing to 4-3. Wilander resumed the offensive with powerful ground strokes to win the final three games.

Evert Lloyd Wins

MONTREAL, Aug. 26 (UPI) - Chris Evert Lloyd, using smooth groundstrokes and a sharp passing game, beat unseeded Alycia Moulton, 6-2, 7-6, to win the final of the Player's Women's Tennis Challenge. Mrs. Lloyd showed the same consistency in the final that she had shown all week, avoiding any double-faults and breaking her opponent's service twice in each set. In five matches this week, Mrs. Lloyd did not lose a set.